Should I Add Hydroguard Every Top Off?

[Logan Burke]

I don't think that's it is neccessary to add hydroguard back every single time you add some water back to your plants...however, I personally add a dose of Great White (similar) once a week to each of my standalone buckets simply because I'm sure that overtime the bacteria count of your good bacteria drops or what not...or if I know organic matter such as a leaf tip drops in that I cannot get out, I'll add a little extra dose just to make sure it can break it down adequately.

 

[Rahz]

Successfully inoculating the root zone can be a one time thing. Adding bennies on a regular basis isn't going to hurt anything but also may not be helpful. The biggest chance for a pathogen to get a foothold is on pristine sterile roots. Once they get colonized with something they tend to stay colonized unless conditions become unfavorable. That could include adding carbohydrates/carbon to a DWC which I don't do at all, to reaching certain nutrient thresholds like P content over 70 ppm, which I do although I'm starting to rethink higher P content based on some literature I've been reading. At any rate I suspect that when microbes (beneficial or pathogenic) are embedded in the root material they are somewhat protected from strong nutrient solution. Danger time is young plants and during the veg stage when nutrient solution is weaker.

I'm not a final authority on the subject, but inoculating clones/seedlings with bennies can provide protection all the way to harvest.

In that regard I prefer to use powdered bennie products. They have a longer shelf life but I don't like adding powdered product to a rez. Better to use it during the clone/seedling phase.

 

[MyNameIsBarney]

This is why you build a recirculating connected DWC with ONE res, and use a CHILLER. hydroguard or h2o2 isn't needed.

This is not really an answer to the question the gentleman asked. I would characterize it as not at all helpful as I too had the same question. So not helpful for anyone else viewing this thread.

 

[rkymtnman]

This is not really an answer to the question the gentleman asked. I would characterize it as not at all helpful as I too had the same question. So not helpful for anyone else viewing this thread.

hydroguard is a waste of money. try southern ag garden friendly fungicide. million times more concentrated

 

[Benihana99]

My plants are at the stage now where I'm adding a gallon of water every other day to the 5 gallon dwc buckets. I'm not sure if I should be adding hydroguard every time I top off? It would make sense for me to, but it could be the hg bacteria is not all absorbed in the water the plant drinks, and if so I'd be gradually increasing the hydroguard strength in the res if I'm replacing .5 tsp every time I add a gallon of fresh water. Do you guys add helpful bacteria every time you add more water to the res?

I have been adding hg every other top off or less, and I haven't noticed any increase in foul res smell, maybe only slight by day 10 or so...yet I am wondering the proper way to do it, how frequently to add hg. I'm changing the res every two weeks about, though may start doing it more frequently since the plants are pushing further into their flower phase.

Surprisingly, the indica plant is the one taking off in height, much taller than the pure sativa. I wasn't expecting that. She is growing upwards 2 or more inches a day now. I need to keep raising the led light. Hopefully she'll slow down soon and focus more on filling out her buds, because I've only got a foot or so left in height available in the tent. Glad now I didn't buy a smaller tent

I'm also realizing how much easier it is with this 8 footer i have compared to the 6ft 6 inch tent that's now just for veg.